


I See Constellations In Your Eyes

by SymphonicFantasia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Mentions of past Shallura, Pining, Shiro and Keith are next door neighbors, Small Towns, Summer Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 15:24:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10028096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymphonicFantasia/pseuds/SymphonicFantasia
Summary: Those who do leave have a 50/50 chance of coming back and only the lucky ones are never heard from again.God does Shiro hope to be one of them. The only thing he looks forward to is the fair that comes around once a year and he has meticulously saved up his money to blow it off on clearly rigged games.Until today.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this fanart by Maiky and... I knew I had to do it. I couldn't resist. [Please retweet the fanart!](https://twitter.com/sun_god_rising/status/828276080305807360) It's really beautiful and I want to cry.

It's every kid's dream to one day leave town. The town that only has one high school and an elementary school that goes all the way to the 8th grade, reminding those who are in "middle school" that they're still only kids. The town that has one movie theater that gets movies too late ("It doesn't matter when the other theaters get it. You know how this is by now, Shiro.") Where the community pool is always full and does little to help with the sweltering heat every summer.

Some are lucky to leave. When they finish high school, they've already had it beaten into their heads that they'll never get out of this town. Those who do leave have a 50/50 chance of coming back and only the lucky ones are never heard from again.

God does Shiro hope to be one of them. The only thing he looks forward to is the fair that comes around once a year and he has meticulously saved up his money to blow it off on clearly rigged games.

Until today.

Shiro watches the hustle and bustle of the block from his tree house, a relic from days when he was younger. There's a moving van parked in front of the house that's been for sale for a year next door. Neighbors are standing in the sidelines, watching as movers bring furniture into the house. He knows everyone in this cul-de-sac and can see the horde of mothers talking to each other. He can't see much from where he's at, but he gets the gist of it. It's all he needs to know.

Something flashes from his peripheral vision, drawing his attention. A teenager around his age steps out of the house, fixing the baseball cap on his head. He reminds Shiro of an angry cat after being bothered too many times from being touched. He watches as he storms through the yard, picking up twigs and sticks that weather had long shaken off the tree in his yard. When he comes close to the tree, he looks up and stares right at him.

Shiro doesn't pull the curtain close when he wants to. Nothing exciting happens in this town. The last exciting thing that happened was when a kid backed up the school sewers trying to flush some type of whale food into the city. That happened last year and they were overdue for some change. This kid right here would be the new thing that everyone would be talking about.

He raises his hand. "Hey."

The teenager on the ground does the same. "You always spend your time in a tree?"

Motioning to the front of the houses, Shiro grins. "It's better than joining the crowd in their viewing." He can see the scowl the other boy puts on. "Wanna come up?"

There's no hesitation in his nod so Shiro wastes no time. He motions to a loose board in the fence and unlocks the latch on the entrance so he can come in. His eyes are filled with wonderment as he climbs inside. Shiro keeps an eye on him as he looks at the posters he's plastered on the walls and the various books (comics and literature) that scatter across the floor.

"Where are you from?" Shiro asks after some time.

"Everywhere. My dad travels for his work and we aren't in the same place for too long. Usually, we're in apartments, but this house makes me think he plans on settling down for good." He scoffs. "Maybe he got tired of transferring me around schools."

School's out for the summer, which gives him plenty of time to get to know the town and people before starting. Shiro wonders if he'll be as sick of it as he is. He didn't grow up in this town; he doesn't know the bad things that this town gives to the ones born here. He'll learn, though.

"I'm Shiro."

"Keith."

They spend the next few minutes quietly. Keith picks up one of the comic books and starts to read it. It's Shiro's favorite so he doesn't mind. He uses the time to watch the crowd slowly disperse, the game of oohing over the new neighbors over with.

Keith's on the tenth volume of the series while Shiro's picked up a book about space and constellations when a voice pierces through their quiet bubble, "Keith! Where are you, boy?" Shiro knows that "you're in trouble" dad tone all too well.

Groaning, Keith raises himself up with a sigh. "That's my cue. I was supposed to be cleaning up the backyard."

"You sure got a lot of that done," Shiro comments with a sly grin.

The corner of Keith's mouth quirks up a little but not enough to be qualified as a smile or even a smirk. "See ya around."

Shiro nods his head and watches Keith descend the tree. He's still watching him, muttering as Keith disappears into the house next door, "See ya."

* * *

The next time he sees Keith it’s because of his mother. She stops him from leaving the house and asks for a favor. He bites back the whining “but mooooom” comment that bubbles in the back of his throat and listens to her. Delivering her famous bundt cake to the Kogane home next door isn’t what he had in mind that she’d want him to do, but it is.

Mutely, and with the strange sense that faith is twisting at his gut, he walks over to the house. Shiro rang the doorbell and waited, feeling hotter than he ever has before. It isn’t the hottest day of the year yet, but he feels like he’s been standing in the hot sun for hours. Keith opens the door and he swallows around the lump in his throat. He’s never been nervous around anyone before. This is a new feeling to him, strange and unusual.

“Shiro, right?” Keith asks, leaning against the doorframe. “What can I do for you?”

Shiro doesn’t understand why he’s suddenly drawing a blank on what to say. He’s not here to say anything, but to hand something over. So, he does, extending his hands as the bundt cake balances on one of his mother’s expensive platters. “A present from my family to yours.”

Keith takes the dish and eyes it cautiously. “Thanks. I’ll let Dad know. He _loves_ his sweet dishes.”

“You don’t?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Not really. Is that all you came for?”

Reaching out, Shiro holds onto the doorframe, keeping Keith from even attempting to close the door. “Do you want to hang out?” At Keith’s raised eyebrow, he shrugged his shoulders. “New kid, new neighborhood, new city. I can show you around and introduce you to a few of your future schoolmates.”

Keith looks like he’s pondering this offer. He looks over his shoulder, purple eyes staring at something that Shiro can’t see. He’s not even sure if they’re finished unpacking yet. “Sure. Give me a moment.”

Shiro shoves his hands into his pockets and waits. He counts the minutes away, feeling more and more stupid the longer he waits. Part of him feels like he’s been duped and that Keith isn’t coming out at all. Another part of him says to wait another minute before deciding if Keith is one of those teenagers.

The door swings open and Keith steps out, headphones over his ears. “Do you mind?” he asks, motioning to them.

Shiro shakes his head. “Do you have a bike or something? It’s hard to get around town without _some_ type of transportation. You can’t trust the bus systems here for nothing.”

Keith silently walks to the opened garage and disappears for a second before coming back out. Shiro smiles at the alien stickers that litter the underside of it. After grabbing his bike, Shiro starts his tour of Sheltered Shrubs.

He makes sure to point out the best place to get a cheap snack and where he’ll find the most shade during heatwaves. While he doesn’t want to mention them, Shiro’s mouth is on word vomit control as he even mentions the bad things about living in this town. The movies, the pool, the teachers, and how everyone knows everyone. None of the children can do anything without their parents knowing. If you did something bad, odds are that your parents would be waiting for you at home to give you a scolding.

Keith is silent during their tour. He makes a comment here and there, but it’s never in a way for Shiro to know if he likes the town or not. If he did, Shiro would need to consult someone to find out _why_. From an insider’s perspective, Sheltered Shubs is a _dump_ and nothing compared to the Gated Oaks community at the edge of town. The people living there are snobs but at least they have better properties and don’t _have_ to come down and socialize with the “common folk”.

They stop for slurpees at the corner store. The dye changes their tongue and stains their teeth different colors as they sip. He expected his group to be here by now, but they’re nowhere in sight. Shiro strains his head left and right, trying to see a hint of their heads coming from around the corner or down the street. He gives up and leans back on his hand, staring up at the sky that’s starting to go from blue to orange.

Beside him, Keith sips at his drink, headphones blasting music in his ears. Shiro doesn’t know what band or even what song it is, but he decides that he likes it. He strains his ears to listen, trying to pass the time until it’s time to go or his friends show up. Which and whoever show up first.

Eventually, he gives up and nudges Keith to get his attention. He waits for him to pause the music and pull the headphones off his head. “What do you think of Sheltered Shrubs so far?”

“It’s boring and there doesn’t seem to be anything interesting thing to do besides riding bikes or skateboarding,” Keith answers without missing a beat. Shiro opens his mouth to speak, ready to tell him that that’s what he said. But Keith continues, “I like it that way, though.

“All my life, I’ve lived from city to city. They were loud and I hated how they smelled. The sewers would leak up into my bedroom sometimes and I’d have to beg my dad for something to get rid of the smell. Out here, it’s quiet and I like it better. Maybe there’s nothing to do here, but that doesn’t mean it lacks any charm. You live here. Don’t you think so?”

Shiro finds himself at a loss for words. It’s true that he doesn’t think so. He’s lived in Sheltered Shrubs all his life and has never found anything good about it. One good thing out of the year doesn’t count, even if he _does_ enjoy the fair that comes around at the end of summer. He wants to ask Keith what he finds so charming about the town, but he never gets the chance.

Keith stands up and stretches. “I should get going. My dad would be wondering where I’m at by now.” Shiro stands and follows him to the garbage can to toss out their garbage. “Sorry I couldn’t meet your friends. Maybe next time.”

“Yeah,” Shiro mutters. He waves his hand as Keith skates away, pushing off the ground with his foot firmly planted. Once again, he watches him go, his focus wavering only by two simple words,

“Hey, Shiro!”

* * *

The following Wednesday has Keith at his doorstep. Shiro had plans on leaving for the day when he pulled the door open, Keith’s hand raised. He smirks and mimics Keith’s movement, leaning against the doorframe. “What can I do for you?”

Keith holds up the platter, sparkling clean and free from any cake crumbs. “Here to return this. Tell your mom that it was delicious. My dad almost devoured it in seconds.”

Shiro laughs and takes the platter. “Glad you liked it. Are you free to hang out again?” He’s proud that the words come out easy this time around. No stuttering or struggling with his words this time.

“Depends. Are we going to meet your friends again just so they don’t show up on time?”

That is where he was headed. Lance and the others are waiting at the movie theaters to watch the same flick they’ve seen three times already. He can only see one movie so many times before he gets bored of it. By now, he can lip all the lines and get them perfectly. “We don’t have to. My treehouse is just as comfortable as the movie theater’s seats. Actually, it’s more comfortable.”

“Sure.”

Shiro leads Keith into the house. They pass by his mother and he tells her where they’ll be at. In the treehouse, they take their usual spots: Shiro sprawled out on the beanbag chair and Keith laying across the floor. The only sounds they can hear are the littler kids playing in other cul-de-sacs.

“Hey, do you have more for that comic series I read last week?” Keith asks, resting his cheek in his hand.

He motions to a box in the opposite corner of the treehouse. “In there. Be careful, though. They’re my prized possessions and the next one comes out in a month.” Keith rolls over and rummages through the volumes until he finds one. “Do you like it?”

“It’s interesting. I mean, an alien princess who takes on five Earth teenagers to control her robot lions? Needless to say, I’m engrossed in it.”

Shiro smiles, resting his cheek against his curled fingers. He watches Keith for a while, gauging his reaction as he reads. He’s read it plenty of times and memorized each issue by heart. Keith shows genuine interest and emotion with each turn of a page, half of his face covered by them. Shiro grabs the book he’s left here for days and starts to read. The peace he feels with Keith by just sitting here reading feels nice. Ever since _she_ left, he hasn’t had anyone to spend time with like this.

Hours pass without them noticing. When the sky grows dark, Shiro powers up a lamp and they continue to read. They only stop when Shiro hears his mother and Keith’s father call for them from their respective homes. Keith sighs as he puts the comic away, sealing it in its protective cover. Breaking their little reading circle makes Shiro’s heart ache. He knows that their parents won’t let them skip dinner. They climb down the treehouse and Keith slips past the loose board in the fence.

At dinner, his mind is still on Keith and how interested he is in reading. It comes to his mind that he forgot to show him the library. If he liked reading comic books, he’ll like reading other novels, too, if he could get his hands on them easily.

Shiro’s in his room when he spies Keith across the way. He hasn’t noticed before that their rooms were across from each other, separated by ten feet. Keith’s curtains are opened as wide as his, giving him a clear view of the guitar he’s playing.

Walking to the window, he throws it open and leans out. The cool night air feels nice after being locked away in a treehouse for a couple of hours. He can’t hear the melody that Keith’s playing well, but he likes it. His fingers drum against the windowsill, imaging how the notes are being played out. The music stops and he watches as Keith hunches over a paper and writes down on it.

Shiro looks around his room until he finds some bottlecaps. Picking them up, he starts tossing them towards Keith’s window. A few of them hit while others miss by a long shot. He makes a reminder to go down and clean them up in the morning. One makes a loud ding against the glass and draws Keith’s attention to him. He waves as Keith opens the window and leans on his elbows.

“Aren’t you a little early for throwing things at my window? That usually happens at midnight and not at nine.”

“Yeah, well. What are you playing?” Shiro asks with a tilt of his head.

“A song I wrote.”

“Do I get to hear it?”

Keith smiles and Shiro feels it deep in his belly. It’s a feeling that tickles him, feathers brushing against his insides and expanding. The feeling spreads through him and makes him feel warm. “We’re not close enough friends for that just yet. Night, Shiro.”

The window closes before Shiro could say it back. It becomes his summer goal to get Keith to play a song for him.

~*~*~

Next time they agree to hang out, they go to the library. What should be a peaceful time in an air-conditioned building is easily ruined by his friends joining them.

Shiro likes his friends—he does, but they can be a bit loud sometimes. Lance is the loudest even when Hunk tries to get him to calm down. Rolo and Matt do nothing to get him to stop. In fact, they egg him on, trying to get him to be loud enough that they all get kicked out. Pidge is the only one who’s mature and remains quiet, her noise buried in her book. Shiro’s never been more grateful to have a six-year-old tagging along with them.

He doesn’t do anything as the other half of their group gets kicked out of the library. Him and Pidge release a sigh of relief knowing that they won’t be let back in for the rest of the day. Shiro directs himself through the labyrinth of shelves until he finds Keith. He’s sitting in the corner near a small window, a book in his hands as he reads. Once he gets closer, Shiro can see it’s a book about creating music.

“Drawing up some information to use?” Shiro whispers as he sits next to Keith.

“Something like that,” Keith answers with a turn of the page. “Your friends banned for life?”

“Just until tomorrow.”

Keith makes a murmur of acknowledgement. They’re quiet once again, Shiro watching Keith as he reads. A cough is released among the shelves a distance away followed by the occasional beeps of the check-out clerk. Shiro moves closer until their legs are against one another with the lightest pressure.

He licks his lips, a poor attempt at getting the words he wants to say to fall out. They’re right there on the tip of his tongue, waiting for him to let them go. “Who taught you how to play?”

Keith doesn’t take his eyes off the book and he’s still reading even as he answered, “My dad taught me the basics. I picked up the rest on my own and by reading some tutorials.”

“That’s amazing,” Shiro muttered. “Have you made a lot of songs?”

“Just the one last night. It’s not done yet, though.”

With a deep inhale, Shiro leans back against the wall. “I hope I get to hear it one day.” From the corner of his eye, he can see Keith smile, a small hint of pink dusting his cheeks. He doesn’t say anything else and doesn’t want to. He sits there next to him, listening to the pages being turned.

On their way home, after they drop Pidge off at the Holt’s, Shiro notices the relic attached to Keith’s hip. Cassette players aren’t extinct yet, but they’re slowly on their way out. CD’s are where it’s at, even if Sheltered Shrubs doesn’t have a proper music store.

“Is that a relic I see there?” he asks, his grin sly as he points

Keith looks down at his hip and shrugs his shoulders. “Is there a problem with it?”

“No, not at all.” Shiro hadn’t meant to make Keith feel bad about his choice. “You… just don’t see them around anymore.”

“The music quality isn’t the best, but I like it,” Keith said. He sounded reminiscent of the object. His thumb stroked the side of it. “Even if time is running out for its era, it’s still a timeless classic.” He looked at Shiro and he felt that feeling again from before. “Don’t you have something from way back when that you like to have around?”

Shiro never thought about it before. His father had various things up in the attic that he liked to look around in. He hasn’t been up there in months, though. Before, it was a time to get over her leaving the city and ending their relationship. Now his memories were as dusty as the boxes that laid in wait up there.

He makes a note to check it out when he gets home.

* * *

The sounds of a guitar playing from the treehouse makes Shiro hurry from his house. Grabbing what he found, he climbs up the tree and quietly climbs inside. Keith’s still playing, engrossed in a melody all his own. The shocked look he wears after Shiro takes a picture of him, the flash blinding him for a moment makes his smile grow.

Shiro laughs as he takes the polaroid picture and waves it around. Keith rubs his eyes as he steps closer. “I found this in the attic last night after our talk.”

Keith leans the guitar and takes the camera. He brings it up too his face and aims it at Shiro, who smiles as it flashes. “And you say my player is a relic.”

“They both are.”

He hands the camera back and picks up his guitar again. Shiro is content just laying across the floor, viewing him through the camera as he plays. He likes this too much; the gentle and quiet moments they have together. They don’t need words to do so and they don’t feel the need to fill up the silence with useless prattle. Considering where they live, why would they have anything to talk about.

Absently, Keith moves down to sit beside him, his legs cross. His leg presses against Shiro’s arm. He doesn’t pull away from him. It’s hot and the touch makes him feel hotter, but he doesn’t want Keith to move. He wants him closer, in fact. Shiro pushes down the feelings he hasn’t figured out yet.

“Who’s Allura?”

Shiro blinks and looks up at him. The name came out of nowhere, but he’s sure about what brought it up. His eyes wander to the tree that’s sticking through the treehouse. His and Allura’s names are in a heart pierced through an arrow. They’ve been there for so long that he’s forgotten about it. At a glance, they look like something that was part of the bark.

“A best friend and an ex-girlfriend,” Shiro answers.

Keith plays a few notes. “I’ve never met her before.”

“She moved away at the end of last year.” He sits up but moves closer to Keith until their arm to arm, leg to leg. He’s never had to tell anyone this story before. “Her uncle decided to move away and start the new year fresh. She didn’t want a long distant relationship, so we decided to break up. But not before going on one last big date.”

“Tell me about it.”

Shiro runs his fingers through his hair, fingernails scraping on the shaved parts. “We skipped school and took a bus to the city. All day we wandered around the place; stopped at a few eateries, checked out some of the places that we don’t have over here. Know that comic book you’ve been reading?” At Keith’s nod, he continues, “We stopped in a comic shop and she pulled it out. I only bought it because the protagonist looked like her.”

Shiro closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “It makes me feel like I’m still close to her in some way…”

Silence surrounds them again, but Shiro doesn’t feel uncomfortable by it. Even after his story, nothing changes between them.

“Come with me somewhere tonight.” Shiro looks at him, his brow furrowed. Keith looks back. “Get your bike ready at 9. I want to take you somewhere.”

“Okay…” Shiro says. He leans back against the wall as Keith climbs down the treehouse. Looking out the window, he sees there’s a few hours of sunlight left. Waiting couldn’t be any harder.

But he does wait. He passes the time by taking pictures with the polaroid, getting use to how different it was compared to a disposable camera. Dinner goes by slowly and he doesn’t say much when his parents ask him questions. What can he say? “Keith, the neighbor next door, is being really cryptic and wants to take me somewhere”? They’d laugh and tell him not to worry. After all, there’s nothing to worry about.

Right?

Shiro’s outside at nine sharp. Keith steps out of his house, skateboard in hand and walks over. They nod to each other and head off. Shiro remains a few beats behind Keith as he directs him. He turns sharply too much and it’s an effort to keep up with him. The pass the library, pass a corner store, pass the movie theaters and the two schools. Trees are quickly coming into view and there are less and less houses the closer they go to the woods.

Finally, Keith stops right on the edge of town. Shiro steps off his bike and follows him to a rocky formation. They sit next to each other, silent as they look up at the stars. He’s always liked looking at stars and the various constellations. Fond memories tickle the back of his mind of coming here with his father and Allura. They’d spend hours just looking at the vast sky, feeling small underneath all that was above them.

It’s been such a long time since Shiro’s done it. He hadn’t realized he missed it until he was doing it again.

“I’ve been coming out to see the stars for a while now,” Keith softly says.

Shiro shifts in his seat, finding Keith laying down on his back. His hands are interlaced on his stomach, starlight reflecting in his purple eyes. He lies back and does the same, keeping his gaze focused on the stars instead of at Keith.

“I come out here every night and it wasn’t just in this town, either. Wherever we travel, I go where I can see the most stars and stare up at them.” Keith taps at his hand with his finger and frowns. “Every now and then, I get these strange dreams. They’ll happen maybe three times a week—if I’m lucky—while other times will be every night.”

He’s ready to ask what they’re about, but Shiro can feel Keith ready to tell him more.

Keith takes a deep breath. “It’s always about this… beautiful alien woman. A spaceship is on Earth and she boards it every single time. And I watch it like I’m the only one watching her go. I’m not anyone else in the dream; I’m always me and no one else. Every time, though…” His voice cracks a bit when he speaks again. “I’m always _really_ sad. I wake up after the dream to my cheeks and pillow damp.

“It’s pathetic, isn’t it?” Keith asks. He turns his head to Shiro briefly before looking back to the sky. “I always feel like it’s... some kind of symbol—a metaphor, really—of my mom leaving me when I was a kid. Strange, right?”

That makes sense, then. Why Shiro never saw Mrs. Kogane in the neighborhood or talking to the other mother’s in the cul-de-sac. His mother never said anything about inviting Keith’s mother over for a drink and to chat. It’s because she wasn’t around to _do_ all those things.

Sadness clenches in Shiro’s gut as he mulls what Keith told him. It makes him sick and he fights back to urge to retch. He takes deep and calming breaths, feeling each one shake his body worse than the last. Licking his dry lips does little to help them. His throat is just as dry as he stumbles over his next words.

“I don’t think it’s strange…” Shiro mutters. He keeps his eyes on his favorite constellation. “But, Keith, I… I love you and you should know that I do.”

After the words tumble from his mouth, Keith sits up straight like a rocket and Shiro freezes. He’s aware of what he said and implications of it. These were words he hadn’t meant to say; not like this. He tightens his grips on his hands as his mind races. The little men inside his head try to come up with a valuable excuse to fix what he said, but the well is dry.

“What I mean to say is…” Shiro starts, shutting his eyes tightly so that he doesn’t have to see Keith’s reaction, “I don’t mean _me_ exactly—”

“Then what _did_ you mean?”

He opens his eyes wide and stars at the stars. Shiro doesn’t know how to answer that.

* * *

Shiro continues the tradition of going to the outskirts of town and staring at the stars with Keith. Often, he brings a book about stars and space that they can read and look over together. He teaches him how to locate the North Star and tells him the stories of the constellations. This goes on for two weeks and the awkwardness of their previous conversation fades away like night does into day. It’s taken a lot of effort for Shiro to push away his strange blunder and Keith never brings it up.

Which is good, because Shiro _still_ doesn’t know what he means by what he said.

His cul-de-sacs block parties are always the best. The mothers that live there are one of the best cooks in the city, holding blue placed ribbons for the meals they’ve shown at the fair. Tables are lined on front yards filled with delicious food. Hotdogs, hamburgers, roasted ham, double fudge brownies with chocolate chips. Name it and it could be found one on of the various tables.

A fire hydrant is running, splashing little children as relief from the heat. Kids and teenagers from neighborhoods nearby come to join the celebration and have fun, their parents close behind to do the same thing. It only happens so often during the summer. When it comes around, everyone’s sure to enjoy it while they can.

With a plate of food, Shiro weaves his way through his neighbors and people townspeople. A few stop him to speak to him about school (which sports team he’s thinking about joining or what clubs he’ll try to attend), but he ends the conversations as soon as he can. There are bigger fish that need to be fried and he needs to see them now. Lance, Pidge and Matt are already there, playing the spray from the hydrant as much as they can. If he wasn’t about to indulge himself, he’d be joining them.

His target is sitting in front of his own house, a plate in his lap. Shiro plops down next to him and offers his extra corndog to him, which he takes. “Having fun?” Shiro asks.

“It’s an interesting party. I’ve never been to one before,” Keith answers around a bite of his food.

Shiro nods his head as he chews a bite of mac and cheese. His plate consists of mostly that. “Some of the adults are going to start up some games with prizes for the little ones. You should go and join some of them. Pin the tail on the donkey or something like that.”

Keith laughs. “Nah, I think I’ll pass on that.” He moves his plate to the grass and presses his cheek against his curled fingers. The smile that he’s directed at Shiro has him feeling heated and cooled at the same time. “I have something for you.”

“Oh man,” Shiro says after he swallows. “I didn’t think it was _that_ kind of party. Consider my corndog a gift from me to you.”

“Fair enough.” Keith reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a little cassette tape in its case. “This is all of my favorite songs on one tape for you to listen to. Both sides are good, but I think you’ll like Side B the most. Just listen to Side A, first. You’ll be confused if you don’t.”

Taking the tape, Shiro turns it around, looking at it from all sides. He knows nothing about these tapes and doesn’t have a player to listen to them on. Before he’s opening his mouth to state this fact, Keith’s already holding out his headphones and player. Shiro stares at the offer then reaches up and pushes it back to Keith. “I can’t do that. It’s yours.”

“You’re just borrowing it, Shiro. I’ll expect it back first thing tomorrow morning.” He leans closer, a serious look to his face. “If I find out you’ve scratched the surface, you’re dead.”

Shiro believes him even as Keith breaks out in a grin. “I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to it.”

“I know you will.” Keith stands up and stretches. “I’m heading inside. This is enough socializing for me. See you tomorrow?”

“Oh,” Shiro answers, breaking his concentration from the items in his hands. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Keith disappears into his house and Shiro is left pondering. The cassette tape is on his mind as he goes around and mingles with the others. Hunk and Rolo come by shortly and ask him to go riding with them. He does, but his mind is still on the tape he has waiting for him on his bed. Each wipeout he has that scraps his face have the others asking him if he’s okay. It’s rare for him to have _this_ many accidents.

Shiro excuses himself and returns home. His father looks over his injuries before deeming him suitable to survive. It’s late when he finishes taking a shower and lies on his bed in shorts and a tank top. The fan that hits him doesn’t help the heat usually, but combined with the damp skin, he feels like it’s winter.

Above his head, the cassette waits for him to listen to it. Shiro wonders briefly about what kind of songs will be on it. With hands that shake for reasons unknown, he grabs both items and sets them up. He places the headphones over his ears, lays back and presses play.

The music he hears is exactly what he expected someone like Keith to listen to. It brings a smile to his face. Music plays through his ears and he lefts himself get lost to the beat. He feels the sound throughout his body, an enjoyable sensation that makes him want to listen to the tape repeatedly.

Side A finishes before he even realizes it. Shiro switches the tape around and closes his eyes once more. He’s ready to engross himself in the music when suddenly,

 _“Hey, Shiro. It’s… it’s Keith.”_ Shiro opens his eyes and feels his heart beating harder than it should. _“I know this is a dumb way of showing it to you, but it’s a little embarrassing. It’s the song I finished and I thought you’d like it. So… I’m gonna play it for you.”_

It’s what he always wanted to hear since he learned that Keith played the guitar. Shiro listens and his heart soars. The melody is sad at first, lyrics of losing someone that Keith cared about. His mother, he assumes. Then, the melody changes. It’s uplifting and the lyrics speak of finding someone that he feels close to. He knows that it’s too much to ask for, but Shiro hopes it’s him.

That’s when he realizes everything. What he’s felt since Keith arrived slams into him at full force.

He’s in love with him.

His scramble to get downstairs to the phone almost drops the cassette player to the floor. Almost

* * *

His call with Allura sticks with him for _days_. Shiro knew that she would state the obvious to him when he told her. That’s what he wanted; for someone to give it to him straight and without restraint. After laying on him for waking her up at almost midnight, she told him that she’s not the one he should be telling all this to.

It’s Keith.

Keith should be the one hearing what Shiro told her.

But he can’t bring himself to do it.

Fear is holding him back. He fears what Keith’s reaction would be. He knows that saying Keith loves him back is a stretch. Keith’s song could have been about anyone in town. Shiro may not have seen Keith hang out with anyone else, but it was possible.

And Shiro wouldn’t be able to handle it.

During the end of July, a full month since Keith moved to Sheltered Shrubs, Shiro decides to tell Matt about it. They’re deep in the depths of the library where the lights are broken and no one’s bothered to get them repaired. Back here, Shiro’s confident that no one would bother them. It’s where the potheads go to smoke, the smell lingering among the shelves and never drifted much further.

Shiro stared at Matt as he digested the information. Out of their group, he was his best friend. He trusted his judgement and his thoughts. His leg continued to bounce as he waited for Matt to speak. Occasionally, he would open his mouth then snap it shut, thinking once again about who knows what.

“So, you’re in love with Keith…”

“It seems so.”

“And you haven’t told him yet?”

“I don’t know how to _start_.”

Matt frowns and blows up a puff of air that ruffles his bangs. “You told me but _not_ Keith? What’s the matter with you, man?”

Shiro groaned and rubbed at his face. “Allura said the same thing when I called her about it.”

“You told _Allura_ , too?!”

He reaches over and covers Matt’s mouth. No one is around to hear them, but that can change in an instant. The last thing he needs are other high school kids coming around and prying into his business. The stoners won’t say anything but give him advice. That’s not what he needs right now. At least, not from them.

Matt pries his hand away and glares at him. “Dude, you can’t just sit on this like it’s an egg. School will be starting soon. Girls, and guys, will be all over him if they’re given the chance.”

Keith’s attractive enough for this to be true. If Shiro didn’t make his move now, he’d lose his chance. This can’t happen and he doesn’t want it to.

The first step is the hardest. With Allura, Shiro crashed into her with his bike and broke her arm in two different places. He visited her in the hospital and at her house every day to help her with her homework or whatever she needed help with. The pieces fell into place after that, their romantic relationship kicking off on its own.

With Keith, he didn’t have an excuse to spend time with him other than the fact that he wanted to. And boy did he want to. The only reason why he isn’t with him right now is because he needed advice. He can clearly imagine Keith sitting in his room or in Shiro’s treehouse, strumming away at his guitar. Maybe he’s making a new song. Maybe he’s waiting for Shiro to show up so they can do something together.

“You said he gave you a mixed tape?”

Shiro blinked, returning to the present. “Yeah, he did.”

“Then make one for him!” Matt suggests. His smile is big and wide. He looks like he solved Shiro’s problems with five simple words. “Set it up with sappy love songs and he’ll be all over you like that.” He empathized this point by snapping his fingers.

Keith was _not_ the sappy love song type. If he was, then Shiro had yet to see that side of him. Songs like that wouldn’t work for him. He wasn’t outright putting Matt’s idea down; he just needed a different set of songs to do it. “I’ll give it a try.”

“Just be ready to blame Matt if it fails.” Pidge comes to sit down next to them, holding a thick book in her hands. “His plans usually do, so you know.”

“Katie—“

“Pidge.”

“—should you really be back here?”

Pidge narrowed her eyes at him. “Should _you_ be?”

“Fair point.”

Shiro rolled his eyes at their banter, but he wore a smile. “I’ll see you two later. Thanks for the tip.” He stood up and left them to continue, arguing about something he didn’t know. At the door to the library, he swore that his heart stopped for just a moment. Keith smiled at him and ran his fingers through his hair. Shiro wished that it was his hand doing it.

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Keith said as he stepped back out of the library.

“Were you?” What he felt from that statement couldn’t be explained. It was better than taking the first bite out of the fair’s deep fried mac n’ cheese. That blissful, cheesy, and wonderful taste.

Keith nodded. They started walking, bumping into each other often as they did. “I was waiting for you in your treehouse when I decided to go looking for you. You’re usually throwing things at my window or at my door around noon. I missed you when you didn’t show up.”

Shiro had to stop and stare at him. It’d be so easy to assume he meant something else. That it was more on a friendly term than what he hoped. How he wanted to believe that Keith missed him more than that, though.

He turned back to Shiro, a delicate eyebrow raised up. “You okay? You’re spacing out over there.”

Shaking his head, Shiro fell into step with him again. “Nothing. Anyway, what’s up?”

“My dad will be out of town for a few days. Want to come over after our star trip and spend the night?” Keith smiled as their shoulders bumped together. “We can watch some alien movies and shows, stay up all night and just chill.”

What a better opportunity to get in and see more about Keith. He had been over Shiro’s house plenty of times, but he’s never been anywhere pass the Kogane’s front door. Keith was a private person and revealed very little about himself and his dad. Their home was a complete mystery to Shiro and he was eager to see what lay inside. “Fun. I’ll bring a few game systems over if you’d like.”

“Sounds like a date, then.”

Surely Keith doesn’t mean it like that. But him saying it has Shiro burning up and feeling like every part of him is electrified, thrumming to life as he thinks about the word “date”.

Night falls and they spend hours beneath the stars.

Keith talks about the dreams he’s had and the song he’s been working on. Shiro listens with all his attention, his head turned to see Keith’s features as he talks. His nose crinkles and his eyes light up. Stars reflect in his eyes and Shiro swears he can make out constellations in them. Not just ones he knows, but ones that he’s created with him. Those special constellations they came up with because they were bored and didn’t want to go home yet.

It’s amazing and Shiro loses his breath every time he catches it. When Keith looks his way, he smiles at him then looks away, casting his eyes out to the stars. He doesn’t bother to talk and loses himself in Keith’s voice once more when he starts talking. But he’s drawn back to his features. Like how the freckles dance across Keith’s nose, barely visible during the day time unless you look closely. At night, though, Shiro can see them and they’re beautiful.

The bike ride back home goes slower than Shiro ever remembered it. He chalks it up to the excitement he feels about seeing the inside of the Keith’s house. His heart flutters like a bird in a cage as Keith slips his key into the door.

Shiro’s excitement comes to a screeching halt.

Inside the Kogane home is more normal than he expected. Based on Keith’s knowledge of music and the universe, he expected some memorabilia reflecting that. Instead, it looks as normal as Shiro’s home. A comfy looking couch with a TV a couple of feet before it. Hallways that lead to a normal looking kitchen area with stairs that lead upstairs. On the walls are pictures of Keith and his father throughout the ages. Keith at his kindergarten class, at zoos across the country, at his elementary graduation, following by various pictures that either of them could have taken just for fun.

Shiro beats himself up for making a big deal about it.

“I’ll see if there’s anything to munch on in the kitchen.”

“Ah, your bathroom?” Shiro questions, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Right. Second door to the left, up the stairs,” Keith directs, pointing a finger.

Shiro moves up the stairs and follows his directions. After he’s done and he’s on his way back down, he falters before a door. It’s cracked open, leaving the smallest bit of light out from it. He looks through the crack, peering and searching for what lays beyond it. From where he’s at, he can see a board covered in papers. Strings are attached to tacks and crisscross around the board.

The hairs stick up on the back of Shiro’s neck and he closes the door. His befuddled mind can’t make much sense of it now, but he puts a pin in it. He makes sure to one day ask Keith about it in the future.

Back down stairs, Keith already has all the junk food and games set up. He smiles at Shiro and he can still see the stars in Keith’s eyes. It takes his breath away and he falters on the stairs. His hand grips the railing tightly as he counts the stars and names the constellations he sees. Shiro wants to walk up and kiss him until the stars burst out of him, lighting up the room as he whispers a confession to him.

“You excited to get your ass beat?” Keith asks, holding a controller out to him.

Shiro forgets all about the room upstairs.

* * *

The jingle of change on the bus ride should sound annoying. Not just to his ears, but to the ears of everyone around him. It only serves to make Shiro and Keith laugh under their breaths every time someone gives them a dirty look every time the bus hits a pot hole.

Fair day is right around the corner and that means one thing: time to cash in his loose change.

Shiro’s loose change is more like all the change he’s collected the past year. Once the fair is gone, he starts saving money again. It’s never anything big, like slipping a $20 in one of the jars. After every purchase, he puts all the loose change away for next year’s fair day. He does this for 360 days until it’s time to cash it in. This year, his results pay off in four large jars filled to the brim with loose change.

It’s heavier than it was last year, which is why Keith is with him. _“A bad back is nothing to laugh at,”_ his father told him when he said that he’d take the jars to a bank in the city alone. Recruiting Keith is easy. With the new issue of the comic coming out, he’s eager to head into the city and get away from Sheltered Shrubs.

Receiving all these nasty looks is just the whip cream to their dessert.

The bus leaves them off a block away from the bank and Shiro swore that he heard the other riders cheering before the doors closed behind them. “If they think that was bad, think about the poor bank teller that has to count all this.”

“It’s not like they do it by hand,” Keith commented as they walked.

“No, but you should see the look on their faces,” Shiro said. “This is my third time doing this, but I swear all the life leaves their eyes when they see me walk in.” He held the door open for him and they walked inside. The quiet sounds of the bank were peaceful, despite the loud sounds outside.

Keith snorted and leaned in closer to him. His hot breath brushed Shiro’s ear, sending a jolt through his body as he said, “You’re right. They all look like they’d rather not be here with you.”

“I told you,” Shiro stuttered out, feeling heat spread up his neck.

“Hey, you okay?” Keith asked as his brow furrowed. “I know it’s hot outside, but you look a little redder than you should.”

No, he wasn’t. Keith’s been doing this often, where he would lean in close and talk to him. His own desires wanted it to mean so much more than it probably did. Maybe Keith didn’t want anyone to hear him speak. “I’m fine. Bringing the change in is just always so nerve wracking. I always fear that I’ll never have enough to enjoy myself at the fair.”

“This fair is that special to you, huh?”

Shiro smiled. “There’s nothing to do in Sheltered Shrubs. This fair is the only thing I look forward to every year.”

Keith hummed. They stepped forward when a bank teller called for them. It took over an hour of diligently pouring the jars of various coins into a machine that counted them up. They made small talk with the teller, guessing how much he had saved up for the past year. Last year, it was a hefty amount and it appeared that this year would be the same. Shiro rubbed his hands together as the last total was added up.

“Three hundred and two dollars and forty-seven cents,” the teller claimed as he handed the money over. “You do have money for the bus this time, right?”

“That happened _once_. And I do.”

“Alright. Get outta here then. Tell your father I said ‘hi’.”

“I will. Have a nice day.” Shiro tapped Keith’s shoulders with the numerous small bills as they walked to the exit. “Look at that. I think it’ll be a nice fair day.”

“Good to hear. Don’t forget our arrangement.”

Shiro gave a playful roll of his eyes. He did promise Keith a trip to the comic store and lunch. “This way, then. I picked up all my copies from a little place nearby. Next, we can hit up the place that has good sandwiches. Or, if you’re into something else, we can look around.”

Keith shrugged his shoulders. “I’m good either way. I don’t want to head back to Sheltered Shrubs anytime soon.”

He wasn’t alone in that feeling. Whenever Shiro got the chance to escape the small town, he’d spend _hours_ away until it was time to catch the last bus. He may have to live there until he was older, but that didn’t mean he had to return to it so soon. Not after he decided to give himself a break from the place.

They walk the five long blocks to the comic store, soaking up the city elements. The heat, the smog, the traffic, the crowded sidewalks, hotdog vendors that motion for them to come closer. If it was Keith’s first time to the city, he would have done everything with him. With how often he’s moved around, this is nothing new to him.

Inside the comic shop is cool air and they relish in it. Keith tugs at the collar of his shirt as he steps further inside. He spreads his arms out and sighs loudly, drawing attention to himself. “That feels great,” he mutters.

He’s not lying. Shiro doesn’t want to leave the cool confines of the store. There are some chairs to sit down for a while, so long as no one wanted to play any of their children card games. “Let’s stay, then. Once we feel up to it, we can head on out and see where we can eat. Something tells me it’ll take us some time to find a place.”

“Sounds good to me.” Keith wandered further inside, admiring the various statues and shelves. Shiro followed close behind him, stopping a few times to see a title. Their quiet moment was interrupted every now and then by questions either of them might have.

Moments like these were something that Shiro cherished. They didn’t need words to spend time with one another. Shiro was just glad to spend some time with him. They’d press against each other in a friendly yet intimate way. Neither of them pulled away until they were done talking for a few moments. In his head, this should be enough. In his heart, it yearned for more and _more_.

They come to the point where their stomachs are growling in protest from lack of food inside them. Keith buys all the copies of the comic he’s missing and then some, mostly ones involving aliens and space travel. It’s something that Shiro finds adoring about him.

“I’m ready to eat. What about you?” Keith asks, looking up at him through dark eyelashes.

Shiro smiles, feeling his heart soar. “Sure.”

* * *

“How special is fair day?”

Shiro takes a bite from the churros they picked up at the bus station. “Nothing, really. It’s just fun. You know the general rule about Sheltered Shrubs.”

Keith exhales hard through his nose. “Yeah, but no one seems to appreciate it for what it is.”

He’s not wrong. Even Shiro hadn’t appreciated his small town until Keith showed up. Keith somehow managed to find small in-the-wall places that he didn’t know existed. He appreciated the small things that no one else had before and Shiro wondered how he never saw them before. “It comes with living here for years.”

Keith takes a bite and hums. The bus rolls into Sheltered Shrubs and turns off, the vehicle rattling from the force. Shiro’s bike and Keith’s skateboard is still where they left them, leaning against the side of the building. The ride home is quick and Shiro knows the reason why.

Since they arrived home, his heart had been pounding away in his chest. His blood hummed as his anxiety rose for what he was going to do. At their homes, Shiro drops his bike on the front lawn and holds his hand out to Keith. “Wait here. I have something for you.”

Keith’s eyebrow raises but he says nothing more as Shiro makes his way into the house. He rushes up the stairs, disregarding his parents as he heads for his room. It isn’t as messy as other teenager’s rooms, but it isn’t exactly clean. What he’s looking for is sitting on his desk, though, wrapped up in a red ribbon.

Touching it has Shiro’s heart going into overdrive. A heart attack might be happening. He takes a deep breath. And another. And another. And _another_ until he feels his heart rate return to normal. Shiro looks down at the small cassette tape and pushes all his hopes onto it. It seems silly, really, to put so much pressure on a little bit of plastic. But he’s spent hours on it, time that he’ll never get back because he was focused on it.

And he doesn’t want it back. Even if nothing comes from this, he still tried.

Shiro makes his way back outside and Keith has his hand on his hip. He looks impatient, but he’s grinning even as he taps his foot. Shiro bites the inside of his lip, but it doesn’t stop the smile he has or the word “cute” going through his head. He steps closer until they’re an inch apart. It’s intimate and risky. Keith doesn’t push him away though and that makes his hopes soar once more.

He holds the tape up and Keith frowns at it. “Is that the tape I made you?”

“It’s a tape I made for _you_.”

“ _You_ made a tape?”

Shiro chuckles and presses the tape into Keith’s hand. “Just listen to it. You might like it.”

Keith’s still wearing a skeptical look, but he nods his head slowly. “Alright…”

They step away from each other and Shiro doesn’t walk into the house until Keith’s in his own. His parents ask him once more how it went and he answers mechanically. His mind is elsewhere, nestled in Keith’s hand and waiting to be played. Shiro’s stomach isn’t in the mood for more food and he believes he’d throw it all up if he tried.

Instead, he sits in his room at his desk, fingers thrumming away at the marked wood. His heart hammers away once more in his chest until he listens to it and looks out the window. He can see Keith across the way, lounging on his bed. The tape is there in his hand and Shiro looks away from him. It all comes down to this.

The songs on it aren’t entirely too romantic. He did his best to mix in some songs that Keith would enjoy while at the same time putting any cheesy song that came into his head. His parents may have helped a bit with that. They thought it was cute that Shiro had a crush on the next-door neighbor. To them, it sounded like a classical sitcom on TV. To Shiro, it complicated things because he can _see_ Keith listening to the tape he made. And he can’t bear it.

He stands up and grabs his curtain, planning on surviving the stifling heat all night, but he stops.

Keith is staring right at him, smiling. His headphones are over his ears and his finger is tapping on his knees. The sight makes Shiro swallow _hard_ around the lump in his throat. Confessing isn’t easy for anyone and it isn’t easy to do when someone like _Keith_ is the target of your affections.

When Keith stands up and pulls the headphones off his head, Shiro is frozen. He’s frozen solid as he walks up to the window and leans out of it, calloused and gloved hands resting on the windowsill. Shiro’s heartbeat is in his ears as he anticipates what will be said to him.

“I like you, too, _Takashi_.”

Shiro honest to God faints.

* * *

Summer stereotypes are so strange and most of them are wrong. Not every teenager goes off to some summer adventure where they meet the love of their lives. Just as importantly, those summer loves don’t last for the summer alone. This is what Shiro thinks about as he stares at Keith, munching away on his second plate of deep fried mac and cheese.

After Keith leaned out of his window and confessed, he had rushed over to help Shiro after his fainting spell. It had caused alarm in his parents and they all rushed in his room to check on him. He had started to come around when they hovered over him, concerned and worried for his health. Assuring his parents, his father especially, that he was fine was difficult. If his father wasn’t a doctor, he would have been on the first car trip to the nearest hospital.

Now here they were, sitting smack center of the fair and enjoying themselves. Keith had been to amusement parks before, but there’s a certain charm that fairs seem to have. The various food booths, the events of weird and mysteries creatures (which had been Keith’s favorite so far), and the other booths that had more to show. These things can’t be replicated by an amusement park. They have their own style and fairs have theirs.

Keith licks his fingers clean after the last bite is consumed. “What’s next? Please tell me it’s not something that will make me throw up. I don’t want to spew chunks everywhere just yet.”

Shiro smiles at him and stands up. “We can go on some of the tamer rides. There’s the smaller coasters, the house of mirrors—“

“The Ferris Wheel, the Tunnel of Love,” Lance suggests, wrapping his arm over Shiro’s shoulder. In a small town, news traveled fast. All it takes his Shiro and Keith to hold hands as they walk to the fair for everyone to know that they were an item.

“No one asked you,” Keith responds with enough bite to make even Shiro wince.

Lance raises his hands in defeat and backs away into the crowd, shouting his suggestions at them again. Shiro wouldn’t deny that his ideas weren’t good ones. While the Tunnel of Love was a bit _too_ intimate, the Ferris Wheel wasn’t a bad idea. After all, it would be a fair if you didn’t get stuck at the top with the one you liked. Before he started dating, he never understood what was so special about it. It’s the gaze you see at the very top, the breathtaking view that makes you understand and appreciate things a little more.

“We can play some of the games instead,” Shiro suggests. He backs away from the idea as fast as he could. Their relationship is new and fragile. One wrong step, and it would break.

Keith gave a curious tilt of his head. “Is that what you want to do?”

“It’s your first time here,” Shiro starts with a smile, “you should be the one to decide what we do.”

“I’m more interested in what _you_ want.”

Shiro bit his lip and looked to the side. What the hell? “The Ferris Wheel.”

His eyebrow raised and a grin spread across his features. “Are you saying you want to get stuck at the top with me?” Shiro could only raise his hands in submission, seeing no reason to deny it. Keith looks up at the sky and the sun that needs another few hours to set. “We’ll do it at night. For now, let’s do something else.”

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited for nightfall.

Various games followed by rides followed by more games. The hours slipped pass them as they moved around. Occasionally, Lance would come around again with another member of his family. They had seen Hunk, Matt, and Pidge floating around, but the crowds pushed them further away from each other. Regardless, it was a nice time.

The Ferris Wheel loomed over them. With every step forward, Shiro’s heart fluttered like a bird in a cage. He supposes he shouldn’t be feeling this excited over something so simple. But he can’t help it. They’re next in line and the operator traps them inside what could essentially become a windmill of corpses. It jolts to life and up they go.

Shiro leans forward, fingers interlaced, and lets out a shuddering breath. They aren’t too far up, but the view looks nice. How the forest at the edge of the town seems to shy away from the buildings built around it.

It looked nice.

Keith leaned against him, his cheek pressing into Shiro’s shoulder. “This is nice,” he whispered as they stopped at the top.

Moving his arm, Shiro wrapped his arm around Keith’s shoulders and pulled him even closer. “Yeah, it is. Thanks for doing this with me.”

“It was going to happen even if you didn’t ask me.” Keith turned his head to face him and smiled. Those stars were in his eyes again, even though the stars were hidden from the bright lights of the fair. “Even if I had to drag you here.”

Shiro smiled, feeling every part of him melt from Keith’s words. His lips were _right_ there. All he needed to do was lean down and press his lips against them. He imagines they must be soft and taste like cherries. He imagines that it must feel amazing to kiss him and that he’ll feel the world crumble around him without a care.

He doesn’t, though.

Instead, he presses his lips to his cheek, kissing a constellation of freckles. Their foreheads press against each other, their lips close once more. Yet Shiro is still afraid of closing that gap, unsure if it’s what Keith wanted or not.

“Let me win you something before we leave,” Shiro said as the wheel turned and brought them down.

“Okay…”

Shiro pretended that he didn’t see him pouting.

After their ride, it’s amusing to see Keith struggling with the prize Shiro won him. He shifts the large red lion from one hip to the other as they walk. Shiro’s often offered to hold it, but Keith turned him down every time. Whether it was because a sense of pride or something else, he couldn’t say. It was still cute how he pouted on his way home, forcing himself to switch sides so that their hands can stay connected.

“Keith, let me hold it for you.”

“I got this.” Keith grunted, shifting the lion once more. Three more blocks separated them from their homes. A thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead. The night had cooled down as they walked home. Shiro was fine, but Keith? He looked like he ran a race.

“We’re almost there, though.”

“I started this and I’ll finish this,” Keith muttered, taking one straggling step before the other.

Shiro rolled his eyes but continued to hold Keith’s hand even as he switched to his left side. “You’re cute.” Keith flustered, stumbling over himself and the lion’s tail. Reaching their street, Shiro walked him to the door and waited for him to open it.

Shoving the lion into the house, Keith turned to him, shoving his hands into his hoodies pockets. It was Shiro’s and it looked nice on him. “I had fun today. The fair was nicer than I thought it would be.”

Shiro smiled. “It’s nothing like the city, but… Sheltered Shrubs has its charms. You taught me that.” At Keith’s curious tilt, he continued, “I wanted to get out of here when I was older. I’d graduate high school and get into a college _far_ away from here. I wouldn’t have to deal with my parents knowing everything I do or the lack of interesting things in town.

“I’d live in one of the great cities. In those dreams, I don’t ever come back to Sheltered Shrubs. But now, I don’t want to leave so soon. I want to enjoy what little time I have left here.” Shiro bites his lip to keep him from saying what he wants to say. _And maybe enjoy what time I have left with you._

Seeing Keith step towards him has Shiro wanting to step back. He wants to move away from Keith because, for once, he fears the unknown about him.

Keith’s fingers dig into his shirt and pull him closer. Their lips touch and it’s everything that Shiro thought they would be. Tasting like cherries and softer than anything he could compare them to. They slide against one another and Shiro digs his fingers into the baby blue painted sides of the home, paint chipping under his fingernails.

Pulling apart has Shiro wanting to surge forward and feel his lips again. Keith’s hand move to cup his jaw, stroking his plump bottom lip. “I’ve waited for _too_ long to kiss you…” Keith whispers, his breath ghosting over him.

Shiro licks his lips, getting the tip of Keith’s finger. “Can we… do it again?”

The next kiss is shyer and they hesitate. They come close to one another only to pull away. When they come together again, Shiro wraps his arms around Keith’s waist and holds them close. It’s sweet, tender, and wonderful. They pull apart and are back at it again, pressing their lips more urgently against one another.

A light turning on in the Kogane home forces them to pull away from each other. Shiro hides behind his hand as Keith confronts his dad, flustered and stammering over his words. He waves to Mr. Kogane and says goodbye to his boyfriend. The next thing he knows, he’s booking it to his own house, jumping through the sprinklers wetting the lawn.

Behind closed doors, Shiro pressed his back against the door and slid to the ground. His hand touches his lips and he sighs. He can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.

* * *

Summer days are slowly becoming autumn days. Sometimes days are cool and other days the sun blazes down on them without remorse. The latter is one of those days. Sweat runs down their arms as they walk through Sheltered Shrubs, hands interlocked. They share the headphones, one in each ear. Some of the summer shops are beginning their preparations to close for the season. Others will stay open for a few more weeks after school starts.

_School._

It was strange to know that school would be starting in less than two weeks. This summer flew by quicker than no other. Shiro knows that it’s because of Keith. If he hadn’t moved into town, his summer would have been spent seeing the same old movies and getting more scraps on his face, knees and elbows with the others. While he still had his own collection of them, they were nothing compared to the summer before.

Keith skipped to a song, something loud that drummed in his ear. “Is everything set up for you to start school here?” Shiro asked.

“Pretty much. To be honest, I expected my dad to pack up and move us again.” Keith looked at Shiro’s furrowed brow and smiled. “It’s not the first time I’ve settled down with someone and he’s decided to leave where we were.” He squeezed Shiro’s hand. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

Things change and that wasn’t something anyone could stop. Sheltered Shrubs changed in small ways that no one noticed them when they happened. It could be things like a store closing or an empty lot suddenly turned community garden or a baseball field. These changes were easy to get over. Keith leaving? Shiro knew that the ground would shatter beneath him the day he leaves.

Despite the heat, Shiro pulls Keith closer to him. He stops them in the middle of the sidewalk and wraps his arms around his waist. His nose presses into the soft black curls. Taking a deep breath only manages to give him a clean smell. How Keith manages to keep his hair in perfect condition is beyond him. But Shiro loves pressing his nose into his hair and taking in every scent that made Keith… Keith.

Keith’s moves his hand to dig his fingers in the soft fabric of his shirt above his heart. Somehow, this feels like a matter of trust. Shiro has given himself fully to Keith. He exposed himself like a wound to the elements. He could dig dirt and glass into him, spreading him out and hurting him, and Shiro wouldn’t care. He’d allow Keith to hurt him and he’d never do anything to harm him in return.

The top of his head knocked against Shiro’s chin as Keith nuzzled against him. “What’s gotten you in sad mood? I said I wasn’t leaving.”

“What will you do when _I_ leave?” Shiro hadn’t meant to ask that. Despite one of their previous conversations, he still plans on leaving Sheltered Shrubs. It won’t be immediately after he graduates. Not unless he can be sure that Keith would still be here or in a relationship with him.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

Or that he can get Keith’s reassurance that they can go together.

Shiro pulls his head back. His hand cups Keith’s cheek as he presses into it, turning his face into his palm. There’s the smallest kiss delivered there, an unintentional bit of attention to a scar he received from biking. He tilts his head up and brings them into a kiss. He can feel Keith’s full body shudder as he keeps a firm grip on him. It’s to ground him as much as it is to keep Keith from falling over.

Memories of a pleasant summer warms him up as they come back to him.

Going down to the outskirts of town to practice tricks with Lance and the others, shoe boxes filled with pictures they took of each other alone and together, movies where they spent more time talking about the bad plot or kissing. Memories that have made him see his hometown in a whole new light thanks to Keith.

Sheltered Shrubs has very little to be excited about. It’s bad outweighs the good when the movie theater continues to delay in playing new movies and the crowded community pool. But the few good points of it are there. The stars that shine brighter thanks to the lack of the harsh city lights, the fair that comes once a year, and Keith.

Shiro’s glad that Keith’s one of the good things that exist in Sheltered Shrubs.

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda dated this back to the 90's. When I went back to the drawing and went to see the drawings again, I realized he had his own little headcanons for it. I did my best to implement them. I hope you all enjoyed it!


End file.
